What is Self-identity and Why Is It Important?

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Identity is about the question of who am I and who do I want to become? Self- identity is about how you identify and define yourself.

People identify themselves in different ways based on relationships, experiences, abilities, traits and physical attributes. Self- identity is a process and has multiple aspects. It is closely linked to self-awareness and self-esteem.

How you regard yourself and how best you know yourself builds up on your self-identity.

You cannot talk about self- identity without mentioning self- awareness and esteem. How you view yourself is influenced by your understanding of who you are and what you think of yourself.

Look at: Self-acceptance and Worth

If you have a high self-esteem then you have a better self-identity. The more self-awareness you develop the better your self-identity.

Your self-identity is a combination of personality traits, abilities, physical attributes, interests, hobbies, and/or social roles from your personal identity that you specifically selected to identify yourself. [destinysodyssey.com]

Your personal identity is a composite of all your personality traits, beliefs, values, physical attributes, abilities, aspirations, and other identifiers that make you who you are.

Self -identity is the view of yourself. It is based on your perspective of who you are irrespective of what you have.

Many people base their self-identity in relation to social context or social roles e.g. occupation and relationships other than personal characteristic like humility, generosity which are also part of identity.

Psychologist believe that, self-identity is developing during teenage years. This is the period when one develops mentally and physically and also a point where one needs to make key decisions about themselves. It is in these period that people define themselves based on gender, career choice, religion and major social constructions.

However, even as teenager begin to develop their identity it is also influenced by their surrounding especially parents, religion, education and even the media.

Your identity does not stop after teenage hood but it develops at different stages in life based on the experiences you go through and role you play. For instance, when you become a mother your identity changes.

As you become more self-aware of your abilities, values and other aspects you begin to view yourself differently. For you to fully understand self-identity or to develop your self-identity you need to work on self-awareness. The better you know yourself the best you can define yourself.

Check out: Self-awareness for a Fulfilling Life

The other thing is to discover your potential and purpose in life. This is not easy and can't be done in one day but it could be seen as the ultimate form of self-awareness. With this discovery then you can begin to look for opportunities for you to fully develop your potential and to live your purpose. Many people live life without ever living to their potential or ever knowing their purpose.

We all have a purpose which we need to discover. Wouldn't say it finds you but rather you find it through your path in life, experiences, passion and traits. Purpose doesn't necessarily have to be career based. For some being a wife, a mother or anything that involves serving and being selfless or achieving your motives could be their purpose.

Purpose is your gift to the world. Something that gives you meaning and fulfilment.

If you know your purpose and have aligned to it then you can forge the right relationships. The problem comes in when you try to live someone else's life or become a people pleaser. In this case you will find yourself living a life to impress others as you try to fulfil an internal need to be loved and praised.

What is Identity Crisis?

This is a term that is loosely used yet affects many.

It is common among teenagers and middle-aged people. It is a time when one is in conflict or challenge with their sense of who they are. This could be in terms of gender roles, religion, career choice, relationship or anything else even a character trait.

This happens when you feel you are different from the person who you present yourself to be. I am for the opinion that identity crisis can serve to help you better understand yourself and develop an identity you like. However, it can also cause sometimes to lose themselves or even get into depression.

Main causes of identity crisis are major changes in life, life milestones, life stressors. They tend to trigger the question of who you are and what are you doing here on earth?

Self-identity and awareness are critical to finding your purpose and living a fulfilled life. Take the challenge of knowing yourself better each day and utilize your abilities as you improve on your weaknesses.

Also Check Out: Life is About Creating Yourself